'Man of Steel' Marketers Pitch Religious Themes

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United Press International

Hollywood marketers offered free screenings of "Man of Steel" to church leaders as well as sermon notes in an effort to highlight the film's Christian themes.

Christian marketing firm Grace Hill Media sent out nine pages of sermon notes written by Pepperdine University professor and theologian Craig Detweiler to Christian pastors across the country, CNN reported Friday.

This isn't the first movie Detweiler has pitched to Christian leaders. He previously wrote up notes for "The Blind Side" and "The Book of Eli," both of which had a faith angle.

"All too often, religious communities have been defined by what they're against. With a movie like `Man of Steel,' this is a chance to celebrate a movie that affirms faith, sacrifice and service," Detweiler said.

Baltimore pastor Quentin Scott said he was at first not interested in a religious pitch of "Man of Steel," but attended a free screening anyway.

"When I sat and listened to the movie I actually saw it was the story of Christ, and the love of God was weaved into the story," he said. "If you give me another opportunity to talk to someone about Jesus Christ, and I can do that because of your movie, that's a win for me, because it is about spreading the Gospel."

P.J. Wenzel, a deacon and Sunday school teacher at Dublin Baptist Church in Ohio, said using "material pumped out from Hollywood's sewers" to entertain congregants will result in people's souls being neglected.

"Any pastor who thinks using `Man of Steel Ministry Resources' is a good Sunday morning strategy must have no concept of how high the stakes are, or very little confidence in the power of God's word and God's spirit," he said.